Underdog
by Allie2
Summary: The second story in my 'series' on The Fabulous Five & friends in 8th grade. Here, Shawnie Pendergast & a new girl from Grover battle for class president, causing conflicts between friends on the way.
1. Default Chapter

Kelsey

Kelsey

"It's no use!" I wailed to my best friend, Jennifer Bailey, at lunch. "I'll never get all the signatures I need to get nominated for class president!" 

Jennifer looked up from where she was unwrapping her tuna sandwich. "How many do you have?" 

I threw my clipboard with the signature lists attached on to the cafeteria table. "About 20 less then I need. And the deadline is tomorrow afternoon!" 

Jennifer pushed her short brown hair behind her ears and glanced at the clipboard. Then she sat up straight in her seat and threw me a confident smile. "Cheer up, Kelse- twenty's not impossible! I'm sure we can find 20 people to sign. Let's see now, have you asked all our friends from Grover?"

"Yes, of course," I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Those are the first people I asked. I asked, like, everyone from our old class!" 

"Everyone? Even Danae and Lilly?" Jennifer grinned devilishly. 

I tossed her my best let's-get-real look. "Honestly, Jen. As if they'd sign for me! Let's get some real ideas here." 

Jennifer frowned at me. "Well, you don't need to blow a fuse- I was _just_ joking. I'm _only _ trying to help."

"I know," I sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just nervous, okay? This election is really important to me. Being class president would really help me feel like I'm getting settled at this place."

__

And it would certainly help make myself known here, I added silently as I started unpacked my lunch. Even though school had been going on for a couple weeks, I still feel completely lost in the crowd at Wakeman Middle School, or Wacko, as most of the kids call it. When Wacko was made into a middle school this past year, kids from my old school- Grover Jr. High- were tossed in among 8th graders who had already had a school year together. And since they all knew each other and felt comfortable with each other, naturally us Grover kids were the left-out ones. Oh, most of the other kids were nice enough, but it was obvious that they were wary of us since they've heard the rumors about Grover being a really bad part of town. Okay, so Grover isn't the nicest and safest place in the world.... but just because we live there it doesn't mean we're all criminals! But try explaining that to the in-crowd at Wacko. Yeah, right. 

Anyway, I felt that if I was elected to such a 'high office'- president of the 'upperclass'- everyone would quit listening to the stupid rumors and realize that if one of us could get elected to something as important as that, then we must not be all that bad. Then they'd all make an effort to get to know us Groverians and make our lives a whole lot easier.

"What about the Fabulous Five?" 

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Jennifer's voice. 

"What?" 

She motioned with her milk carton towards a table near the door. 

"I said, what about the Fabulous Five? They're all really nice. They might vote for you. _And _ they're practically the most popular girls in the whole school-" here Jennifer turned and gripped my arm, her eyes shining with excitement"-so if they voted for you, then everyone else might, too! Think about it, Kelse!" 

"I don't know," I said shaking my head, making my long dark brown hair swing. "They're pretty good friends with Shawnie Pendergast. They'll probably vote for her." 

I looked forlornly across the cafeteria to the table where Shawnie Pendergast was sitting with a bunch of girls, telling a story and obviously the center of a attention. "She's so popular, she'll win for sure. It's no use talking to the Fab Five. They probably signed her nomination papers already. Oh well, I guess I'd better just give it up."

"You are such a chicken, Kelsey Talbot! That's your problem! You never go for things- how will you know if you have a chance if you don't at least TRY?" Jennifer cried, smacking her carton down and splashing milk on the table. 

"Shhhh! Jennifer, not so loud!" I hissed, glancing around to see how many kids were looking our way. 

"I won't be quiet- not until you promise to at least talk to the Fabulous Five." 

"Okay, okay!" I said quickly, wishing I'd never brought up the issue with Jen. Honestly, she could be so stubborn!

But she wasn't finished yet. "Promise, Kelse." 

I bit my lip. I really didn't want to talk to the Fab Five. I was sure I'd say something totally idiotic and embarrassing and they'd laugh at me and shun me, forever making me a member of the Out Crowd. But I also didn't want a scene in the cafeteria. 

"All right, fine, Jennifer Bailey, have it your way- I promise." 


	2. Shawnie

Shawnie

Shawnie

"Here's my class presidential nomination papers, Ms. Simone," I said in most grown up voice, casually tossing my blonde hair over my shoulder as if I did things like this every day. 

"Wonderful, Shawnie," Ms. Simone said with a smile. "I'll have to check for duplicates, but I think these will be fine."

I thanked Ms. Simone, then skipped out of the secretary's office and down the hall to room 307, smiling all the way. _I did it! I actually did it! _I sang to myself happily. I was actually nominated for 8th grade class president! Never before had anything so exciting happened to me. 

__

Not that my life's been totally boring either, I thought as I slid into my chair. Take last year, for example. Up until the 7th grade, I had been a prisoner in my own home. Trapped by my own parents. See, they had been so paranoid that something would happen to me that they made me come straight home from school every day and I was never allowed to date or go anywhere with friends. Not that I had any friends to go anywhere with. Kids thought that just because I was wealthy and had parents who gave me everything (except freedom) I was totally spoiled and stuck up and they never gave me a chance. Until I met Katie Shannon. She was from Mark Twain Elementary (I was from Copper Beach) and within just the first few weeks of 7th grade she had a reputation as the most fair-minded person in the entire school. So when she heard how UNfairly my parents were treating me, she and her best friends- the Fabulous Five- tried to help me out. Katie even hid me at her house when I ran away from home to teach my parents the lesson that finally made them give me a break. But that's another story. The bottom line is, after I was allowed to go out and stuff, the whole world opened up for me. I made lots of friends, including a terrific boyfriend, and got involved in a lot of activities. And this year was promising to be just as great. 

I sank back in my chair and smiled, imagining.

SHAWNIE PENDERGAST- CLASS PRESIDENT. 

I couldn't wait.


	3. Melanie

Melanie

Melanie

"So, who are you guys going to vote for for class president?" I asked during a lull in our lunchtime conversation. 

Jana Morgan raised her eyebrows at me over her cream cheese and jelly sandwich. "Do you think we'll have much choice? Shawnie Pendergast is the only one running."

"So far," Katie Shannon pointed out.

"Get real, Katie," Beth Barry laughed. "Tomorrow afternoon is the deadline. There's not much time left for someone to enter." 

"I still can't believe Curtis Trowbridge isn't going to try to get nominated," I giggled. "The way he talked at the dinner dance last June, I thought for sure he'd enter." 

Christie Winchell shook her blonde head. "He's on too many other clubs to get involved in something so time consuming as class president. I don't know how he gets everything done as it is."

"Well, I still don't think we should count out anybody else. Wasn't there another girl running? I don't remember hearing about her dropping out," Katie insisted, her green eyes flaring. I smiled to myself. Katie never liked it when people got off track, even a little bit. 

"Oh, yeah!" Beth said, snapping her fingers. "I remember now! Kelly or Kally or something, wasn't it?" 

"Kelsey Talbot," Jana corrected, taking a sip of milk. "She's in my homeroom and 4th period math. She's very nice. Shy, but nice."

Now that I thought about it, I knew who Kelsey was, too. She sat in front of me in science, and never ever raised her hand or tried to join in before-class conversations. I shook my head. I certainly couldn't imagine someone like that leading discussions at meetings or stuff like that. Shawnie on the other hand was very confident and a good talker. Plus she was a lot of fun and had a lot of good ideas. And besides all that, she was a good friend of mine. I knew deep down that even if someone else entered the race, I'd still probably vote for Shawnie. 

I reached for my banana and noticed that Katie was talking again.

"If someone else does enter the race, I'll vote for her." Katie gave us all a superior look. "I like to support the underdog." 

"What if Laura McCall enters? Or Melissa McConnell?" Beth giggled. "Would you really vote for one of them?" 

"Of course not," Katie huffed over our snickers. "The candidate would have to be of good character." 

"And we all know Laura and Melissa don't fit into that area!" Christie laughed, and the rest of us joined in. 

I definitely had to agree with that. Laura McCall and Melissa McConnell are two of our worst enemies in the world, and two of the snobbiest, meanest girls at school. They are members of our rival clique, The Fantastic Foursome. Funny Hawthorne and Tammy Lucero are also in the group, but Funny isn't so bad. She's really good friends with Jana, and the rest of us like her, too. She's so cheerful and bubbly it's hard not to. 

"Well, anyway," I said. "Anybody who nominated Shawnie should probably vote for her in the real election, too. I mean, that's the nice thing to do." 

"I agree," Jana nodded. 

"Yes, but I didn't nominate her," Katie said quietly.

We all looked at her in disbelief. 

"You mean you didn't sign her petitions?" Christie gasped.

"Yeah," Beth chimed in. "You mean you actually turned her down when she asked you? What did you tell her, that you were waiting it out for a better person?"

"No," Katie said evenly, "I didn't have to do anything like that. She just never asked me. So many people signed her petitions that she didn't _need_ my vote, I guess."

"So, if someone else decides to run and asks for your signature, you'll do it?" Jana asked after a moment. 

"Yes. If she has good principles and all that. Shawnie is one of our good friends, and she's a very good speaker, etc., etc., but she may not be principled enough to hold such a high position. Remember when she served wine at her party last year? That's not what I call making very good decisions. You see, I believe..."

__

Oh brother, I thought, exchanging looks with Jana across the table. _Here we go again._


	4. Kelsey

Kelsey

Kelsey

__

Well, here goes nothing, I thought, taking a deep breath and closing my locker door. It was the end of the school day, and most of the kids had gotten what they needed out of their lockers, and were on their way to Bumpers, the fast-food restaurant that served as the middle school hangout. But there were still a few students hanging around- including the Fabulous Five, who were congregated at Katie's locker down the hall a little ways. I had decided that this was a good time to approach them about signing my petition, since there weren't very many kids around and if the Fab Five made fun of me, not very many people would see. 

Jennifer had offered to go with me when I asked them, but I told her no. I wanted to do this on my own. If I was really going to learn to become more outgoing and 'go for it', I had to start sometime.

I straighted my backpack, clutched my clipboard to keep my hands from shaking, and walked up to the girls. 

"Hi," I said in the most confident voice I could muster, then cringed inwardly when I saw them all jump, wondering if my voice had been too loud. 

"Oh, hi, Kelsey!" Melanie Edwards said quickly, covering up her surprise. The other girls murmered a greeting as well.

__

Well, there's a good sign. At least they know my name. 

"How are you, Kelsey?" Jana Morgan said with a big smile. "Can we help you with something?"

I felt some of my insecurities slip away with Jana's encouraging smile. Jana was the leader of the Fabulous Five and possibly the most popular, as well as one of the prettiest, girl in school. Apparently, she had won the Miss Seventh Grade title last year, which meant she was liked and respected by everyone... or at least almost everyone. I knew that even Danae Waltrip and Lilly Fergusen admired her and were desperatly trying to get into her clique. (In case you're wondering, as this is the second time I've mentioned those two, Danae and Lilly are two girls who have been in my class since first grade. They're both pretty and had been very popular at Grover, although at this dumb school even _they_ had no status. Personally, I was glad about this. I'm not exactly friends with Lilly and Danae. We had a misunderstanding, shall we call it, back in the fourth and haven't been on good terms since. They don't like Jen either, as she was smart Danae's biggest competion in the brains department back at Grover.) 

I realized suddenly that they were all waiting for me to answer.

"Uh, yeah. See, I'm running for class president, and I was wondering if maybe you guys would sign my petition." 

"Oh, wow, I'm really sorry," Jana sighed. "I already signed Shawnie's petition." 

Beth Barry, Melanie Edwards and Christie Winchell nodded in agreement. I felt all my hopes being dashed and was wondering how I would ever get over this humiliation, when I noticed Katie Shannon had taken the petition out of my hands. 

"Let me see your petition. I didn't sign Shawnie's. You have what you stand for at the top, right? Let's see, oh, here." She paused a moment to read then nodded. "Good. I'll sign this." She stated, scribbling her name in.

I was so shocked it took me a moment to recover.

"Oh, um, wow! Thanks! Thanks so much. I really appreciate it," I breathed. I knew it was only one little signature, but at least one of the Fab Five was giving me support. 

"You know," Katie murmered, looking at my petition a little closer, "you still need a, um, few more signatures before tomorrow, and I think I might be able to help."

"Really?" I gasped. This was getting better and better!

"Yeah. I know some people who didn't want to support Shawnie who would probably sign your petition." 

"Really?" _Argh, I have to quit saying that._ "Like who? I'll have to ask them soon, you know." I desperatly hoped she wouldn't say someone like Laura McCall, who I was even more scared of then Danae or Lilly. Even though I'd only been at Wacko for a little while, I had already heard chilling tales about Laura McCall and her group 

"Oh, just some friends. Listen, I've got an idea: why don't you let me take your petition to Bumpers today and see if I can get you some signatures. Then I'll give it back to you tomorrow morning, deal?" Katie suggested, looking me in the eye. 

I felt so excited and relieved I wanted to dance in place. Instead, I bit the insides of my cheeks to calm myself down, and said in only a slightly quavering voice, "Deal. And thanks so much! You have no idea how much I appreciate it." 

"No probem. Oh! You don't care who signs, do you?" 

"Oh, no!" At this point I would have welcomed an elephant signing my petition. 

I looked quickly at the other Fab Fivers and noticed they were all smiling. Good. I was glad they weren't upset that one of their friends was offering to help me instead of helping Shawnie. 

"So, Kelsey, how do you like Wakeman?" Tall and thin Christie Winchell asked. 

I was surprised they wanted to continue talking to me now that my buisness with them was really done- at least for now- but I certainly didn't mind, so I replied, "Oh well, I haven't really been here long enough to tell, but it's... nice. A lot different from Grover." 

Jana was opening her mouth to speak, but stopped when a masculine voice sounded behind us. 

"Hey, are you ladies coming or what? We're never going to get a seat at Bumpers if you don't hurry up." 

Without our noticing, two boys had come up. I caught my breath. Two very CUTE boys had come up. Both were well built and obviously football players, though one- the guy who had spoken- was blonde and the other boy had dark hair. I wondered if I looked okay.

"We were waiting for YOU, Mr. Arrington. You told us at lunch to wait by Katie's locker, remember?" Beth grinned, giving Shane a playful punch in the arm. Shane stuck his tongue out at her.

"I wouldn't keep a dirty thing like that in my mouth either," Beth retorted. They all laughed, and I wondered if maybe I should slip away, when Jana reached out and pulled me closer. 

"Hey, you two, I want you to meet Kelsey Talbot. Kelsey, this is Shane Arrington, and this is Randy Kirwan. Shane and Randy, this is Kelsey." Jana said, pointing first to the blonde boy and then to the dark haired one. 

"Pleased to meet you, madam. You are from Grover, no?" Shane said, with a mock bow. 

"No. I mean, yes, I'm from Grover." I said with a little laugh. I could feel myself blushing from head to toe. I couldn't believe it. First I had participated in real live conversation with the Fabulous Five and now I had just been introduced to two of the most popular boys at school! I had never seen Shane or Randy before- that's why I hadn't recognized them- but I'd heard plenty about them. I had heard that they were both very sweet guys and that they were very athletic. I knew Shane had hippie parents and an iguana for a pet. I also knew that Melanie Edwards was Shane Arrington's girlfriend and that Jana Morgan was Randy Kirwan's girlfriend. I had even heard that Jana and Randy had been going steady since the 6th grade. _They must really like each other_, I thought. I couldn't imagine myself going out with any guy, let alone for two years! 

"Hey, you're running for president, aren't you?" Randy Kirwan asked with a friendly smile, bringing me back to the present. 

"Well, I'd like to, but you have to get nominated first and I'm not quite even there yet." I answered, not able to look him in the eye. He was so cute! 

"I'm going to help her get signatures. Which means that we should get going so that we can get to Bumpers while everyone is still there," Katie broke in. 

"Oh, well, you've got Katie on your side, I see." Shane laughed, giving Randy a nudge. "Don't worry- you're as good as nominated with her helping you!" 

I was certainly cheered to hear news such as this. 

"See you around, Kelsey!" Jana and Beth called in duet as they followed the others down the hall and out the door. 

I waved back then turned to get a drink at the fountain before leaving myself. I was so excited I could hardly stand still. I couldn't wait to call Jennifer and tell her everything.


	5. Instant Messages Between Jana and Randy

Instant Messages Between Randy and Jana That Night

Instant Messages Between Randy and Jana That Night

Kirwan26: Hi! 

Lil_Jana: Hi back! 

Kirwan26: So, when did you become friends with Kelsey Talbot?

Lil_Jana: I didn't. I mean, I'm not really friends with her. I just met her today after school.

Kirwan26: I was going to say- I didn't remember you mentioning her before.

Lil_Jana: Yeah, well she seems really nice. 

Kirwan26: Yeah. Do you think she has a chance for pres?

Lil_Jana: I don't know. Shawnie's pretty popular. But with Katie practically acting as Kelsey's campaign manager...

Kirwan26: Hey- did Katie get enough signatures for Kelsey's nomination tonight?

Lil_Jana: Yeah. She only needed about 19. 

Kirwan26: Only?

Lil_Jana: You would be surprised how many people aren't that crazy for Shawnie. 

Kirwan26: Really? I thought she was pretty well liked. 

Lil_Jana: Oh yeah, well the majority I think like her, but some girls think she's kinda stuck up. I won't mention names. 

Kirwan26: Are you going to vote for Shawnie when the time comes?

Lil_Jana: I don't know. Probably. What about you?

Kirwan26: Probably. I don't really know what Kelsey stands for. 

Lil_Jana: Me neither. 

Kirwan26: Hey, I just thought of something- do you think Shawnie will be mad that Katie is being so helpful towards Kelsey? After all, Katie was Shawnie's first real friend last year. 

Lil_Jana: I didn't think of that! She might be. I'll talk to Katie about it. I don't think she considered that either. I know she wouldn't want to hurt Shawnie on purpose. 

Kirwan26: I gotta go. Lights out!

Lil_Jana: Me too! See you tomorrow!

Kirwan26: Ditto! 'Night!


	6. Jana

Jana

Jana

"Well, she shouldn't be upset. It's not like I'm against Shawnie as a person, just for president. Jana, did you read what Kelsey stands for? Not just a bunch of parties and dances, but good educational stuff that will actually help students!" Katie replied excitedly. After what Randy had said last night on the IM, I had cornered Katie first thing at her locker the next morning to warn her about how Shawnie might feel on Katie helping Kelsey get nominated. 

I crossed my eyes in frustration. "That's great, Katie, but try to see it from Shawnie's point of view! She might be really hurt that you're supporting her competition. You're supposed to be her friend, not Kelsey's." 

Katie frowned at me. "Jana Morgan, I'm surprised at you. Usually you're the one who's so excited about making the new and awkward kids feel at home, and now you're practically telling me to snub Kelsey when she really needs my help."

"No, I'm not telling you that- I don't think you should snub Kelsey or anything, just to be careful. How would you feel if you were running for something you really wanted and I decided to vote for your competition?" 

"Jana, that's a bad example. Shawnie and I are not best friends like the two of us."

I groaned and threw my hands up in the air. 

"You know what I mean!"

"Trust me," Katie said softly after a moment, putting her hand on my arm. "I'll handle this. Leave it to me, okay?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't," she smiled.

I tried to smile back but before I was able to, I noticed something that was certainly not anything to smile about. Not two feet away stood Tammy Lucero- the school's infamous gossiper and one of our worst enemies in the world- and from the satisfied look on her face, I knew she had heard the whole thing. And I was definitely worried about what that could mean.


	7. Shawnie

Shawnie 

Shawnie

"Katie Shannon, there you are!" 

Katie turned quickly away from the newspaper rack in the Media Center, her long red hair whipping across her back. She looked at me with wide eyes and I could tell she was startled at the anger in my voice. 

"Hey, Shawnie, what's the matter?"

"As if you didn't know!" I nearly shouted, taking another step closer. 

Eric Silverman, also in our class and the only other person in the room, had been reading a magazine at one of the tables but took one look at the two of us faced off and left in a hurry. 

"Shawnie, would you just calm down and tell me what's wrong?" Katie sighed impatiently. She really didn't look as if she had any idea what I was upset about and that made me even madder. How dare she take something like this so lightly!

"I'll tell you what's wrong- I just got finished talking to Laura McCall, that's what. She said Tammy overheard you and Jana this morning at your locker discussing your campaign to help that- that Kelsey person become class president instead of me!" 

Katie frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. 

"Shawnie, you know Tammy's the biggest gossip in school. And you know she loves to twist things around so that they sound more exciting. I tell you, I am- as of this time- not a part of Kelsey Talbot's campaign. I don't care what Tammy said she heard, but that's not it. You can even ask Jana if you'd like."

We were both silent a moment and the only noise was the buzzing of the overhead lights and kids slamming locker doors down the hall. I took a deep breath. "So, you're not campaigning for Kelsey?"

"No," She paused a moment, then added in a clear voice, "but I did sign her nomination petition yesterday. And... and if she asks me to help her with her campaign, I probably will."

I felt liked someone had just hit me. Hurt and mad. 

"But- but... Katie! How could you? I thought you were on my side? You barely even know this Kelsey whatever-her-last-name is!"

Katie looked a little embarressed and she shrugged, then softly replied, "It's not that I don't like you as a person, Shawnie, it's I just feel that Kelsey stands for more issues I believe in. And she doesn't have very many friends here like you do. She needs help. That's all." 

I couldn't remember being so mad. Katie was practically telling me that I would make a rotton class president and that other girl was perfect for it. And she was supposed to be my friend! Supposed to be helping me!

"Shawnie?" 

I looked up coldly at Katie's pleading face as she continued.

"Shawnie, please. It's nothing personal, okay? Please- can't you try to understand?"

I glared at her. "Oh, I understand perfectly. Good bye, Katie Shannon. I wish you luck on your new venture- because you're going to need it." With that, I whirled around and stalked out of the room. 

I didn't care if I never spoke to that girl again.


	8. Kelsey

Kelsey

Kelsey

"Hey, Kelsey! Congratulations on getting nominated!"

I smiled and waved in response to Hillary Johnson from the bumper car at Bumpers where Jennifer and I were sitting after school. Hillary was an old friend from Grover and had been one of the people to nominate me. 

I turned to Jennifer and laughed happily. 

"Isn't this great! I can't believe I'm actually in the race! I mean, even if I don't win, it's so great to get this far!"

Jennifer gave me a sly smile over her drink. 

"And all because you talked to the Fabulous Five. Hmmm, how did you ever get a wonderful idea like that?"

I shoved her playfully. "Okay, okay. You were right again, Jennifer Bailey. Your humble servant bows in appreciation."

When we finished laughing, I casually looked across the room to the booth where the Fabulous Five was sitting together. I really was glad I had talked to them. They were a lot friendlier then I thought they'd be, too. I mean, I had known they were all supposed to be nice, but they seemed much more REAL now or something since I had actually conversed with them. They had started waving to me in the halls, and Jana had even talked to me a little bit in fourth period math today. Who knew? Next thing, Jen and I might be going around with them!

"What are you looking at?" Jen asked, peering over my shoulder. "Oh, the Fab Five. Hey, why don't we go over there. You could introduce me. It's not fair that the populars all know you and not me, the real brains of us." 

"Ha ha," I smirked. "I barely know them. I'd feel weird just going up and talking." 

"That's what you did yesterday."

"Well, yeah, but I had a good reason then. What could I say now? 'Hi, guys. Just felt like saying hello.' Dumb!" 

"You could tell Katie thanks for helping you." 

"I've already thanked her about 20 billion times," I replied, shaking my head. When Jen didn't offer one of her usual comebacks, I glanced at her to see why she was so quiet. She was sipping her drink and looking at the door where some boys had come in. 

"Boy alert! Boy alert!" I teased. "Who are you looking at now, Jen?"

"No one in particular, I guess." She paused, then sighed. "What a cutie. Wouldn't you die if he noticed you?"

"Who, who?" I asked.

"Him. See that guy in the Wakeman football jacket- khaki pants. Brown hair. Next to that short red-haired boy."

"Oh! Randy Kirwan. I know him."

Jen whirled around and gaped at me. "You KNOW him? When did this happen? Where was I?"

"Well, I don't know him, like know know him. But I met him yesterday when I was talking to the Fab Five. He and Shane Arrington came over to get the girls before they went to Bumpers. Randy is Jana's boyfriend." I added.

"Oh, drat. Well, there goes that. We'd never be able to beat that girl out. Looks, personality, popularity... she has it all." 

"You could always go for Rick Thompson. He might still have a crush on you." I giggled. 

"Oh, sick! How disgusting! I wouldn't be caught dead with that weirdo." Jen groaned. "Remember when he wore all his clothes backwards for the big Thanksgiving show last year?"

We were laughing so hard that I didn't even notice someone come up to our bumper car. 

"Hi, Kelsey." 

I started, and looked up to see Jana Morgan standing beside the car, smiling her sweet smile. 

"Oh, hi! How are you doing? I mean, um, have you met my friend? Jen Bailey?" I stumbled, my face turning red. Why did I always make a fool out of myself in front of the people I most wanted to impress? 

"Hi, Jen. I'm Jana." 

"Hi, Jana. It's nice to meet you," Jen said in a confident voice. I had always envied that in Jen. Nothing ever seemed to faze her. While Jana and Jennifer talked, I took in Jana's appearance. As usual, she looked awesome. What helps is her great figure. It's sooo unfair; she's on the petite side, yet she has long legs and nice curves. Her l.e.i.™ flare jeans fit neatly around her hips and her fitted blue Guess?™ t-shirt contrasted with her tanned skin and dark hair and eyes. I would love to hair like Jana's. I like my long hair- it's down to my waist- but I'd give it up in a second to look like Jana's. Her's flowed a few inches below her shoulders and was thick and glossy and slightly wavy. Bright butterfly clips held it away from her face. I sighed. No wonder her boyfriend was one of the hottest guys at school- probably she had tons of boys falling over her and could take her pick. Yet, I knew her looks weren't the real reason Randy liked her. She was sweet as can be and would be nice to anyone. Besides, Sara Sawyer- who had gone to school with Jana for years- had said while Jana had always been cute, she hadn't gotten gorgeous until this past summer. Then it was like, boom. Still, it wasn't fair. How come some people got all the luck? 

"Have you started working on your campaign at all, Kelsey?"

Jana's voice jolted me back to the presence. 

"Oh, um, not quite. Jen and I have some ideas, but we haven't really started putting stuff together. Like posters and stuff." I replied. 

"Posters are good, but here at Wakeman those aren't always what make the cut," Jana said with a sly grin.

"What do you mean?" Jen asked, cocking her head. 

"Well, at this school, the best way to get attention is to do really different and unexpected things. Grab people's attention." She laughed and shook her head, making her beautiful hair swing. "Believe me, last year's election was proof that different is better. Hey, I gotta go. See you guys later." She waved and then walked on towards the booth where Randy Kirwan and his friends were sitting. 

"Different is better," I mused, swirling my straw around in my drink. Already ideas were sliding around in my head. I knew we'd really have to get serious about ideas and soon because Shawnie undoubtedly was already working on a bunch of scemes to stand out. 

I suddenly realized that Jen was being awfully quiet. "Hey, Jennifer Bailey, wake up. I need your help here with some plans. This is right up your alley." 

But she wasn't paying attention; to me, anyway. She was staring at the booth where Jana had gone over to. 

"What are you looking at, Jen?" I asked, trying to get a better view. 

"Look at that! I mean, Jana just walked right over there and sat down on his lap. And he looked like someone had just handed him a million dollars. Can you IMAGINE what it would be like to be that comfortable with a boy?!" Jen cried. 

I groaned and leaned back in the bumper car. "You're hopeless, Jen. Hopeless."


	9. Katie

Katie

Katie

"-and then she stormed out and didn't even give me a chance to explain!" I complained at Bumpers after school. I was sitting with the Fabulous Five in a booth, telling them about the run-in I had had with Shawnie earlier. 

"Wow, she must really be mad," Melanie said, her blue eyes wide. The other girls nodded their heads in agreement. 

I sighed and turned to Jana who was sitting quietly poking at her drink with her straw and watching me. 

"Thank you, Jana, for not saying 'I told you so'. I guess I should have heeded your warning today, but I really thought I could make her understand." Jana gave me an understanding smile. 

"Well, if Shawnie really was a good friend, she'd let you explain. Maybe she'd still be mad, but she should at least hear you out!" Christie pointed out. 

"The thing is, now what should I do?" I groaned. "Shawnie won't even look at me. And I'm sure she'll start spreading rumors about what a back-stabber and what a horrible, unfair person I am."

"And the Fantastic Foursome will be sure to help her out," Beth sighed. 

This was getting worse all the time. I put my head in my hands and tried to think. But I just really didn't know what to do. Besides try to explain, but I knew I'd have to think up something really good, because Shawnie was certainly not in the mood to forgive easily. 

Finally I stood, picking my backpack up. "I guess I'll go home and start my homework." I sighed. "Maybe it'll help get my mind off all of this junk." 

"What about talking to your mom?" Christie suggested. "She might have some ideas." 

"Maybe," I said half-heartedly. I knew Christie was probably right, she usually is, but right now I didn't feel like getting my hopes up. I thought everything would work out before and it didn't. Jana stood up with me. 

"I'm going to go over and talk to Randy for a little while." She gave me a quick hug before moving towards him. "Don't worry, Katie. We'll think of something. The Fabulous Five hasn't failed yet." 

I tried to smile, but my face felt tight. She was right, but there was, after all, a first time for everything.


	10. Messages on Pendergast's Answering Machi...

Messages on Pendergast's Answering Machine

Messages on Pendergast's Answering Machine

"Hi, you've reached the Pendergasts. We're busy right now, but if you'll leave your name and number after the beep, we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you, and have a great day."

__

"Beep!Shawnie? This is KatieShannon. It's about five o'clock, and um, I was hoping to talk to you personally, but I guess you're not available right now. I'll call later. Bye."

"Beep!Hi, Shawnie? This is Katie again. It's almost quarter till seven. I left another message earlier, I don't know if you got it or not. Anyway, I really need to talk to you soon. Could you call me back if you get a chance? You know my number. I'll be home all night. Thanks, bye."

"Beep!It's Katie again. It's now almost nine-thirty, so I know you're home, you just won't talk to me. Shawnie, please. I know you're mad, but I can explain. Please give me a chance. sigh I guess you're not going to pick up. Well, I'll see you tomorrow at school. Good night."


End file.
